Lucinda Williams

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Williams was born in Lake Charles, LA, on January 26, 1953. Her father was Miller Williams, a literature professor and published poet who passed on not only his love of language, but also of Delta blues and Hank Williams. The family moved frequently, as Miller took teaching posts at colleges around Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, and even Mexico City and Santiago, Chile. Meanwhile, Lucinda discovered folk music (especially Joan Baez) through her mother and was galvanized into trying her own hand at singing and writing songs after hearing Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. She started performing folk songs publicly in New Orleans and during the family's sojourn in Mexico City.

Williams performed around New Orleans as a folk artist who mixed covers with traditional-styled originals. In 1974, she relocated to Austin, TX, and became part of that city's burgeoning roots music scene; she later split time between Austin and Houston, and then moved to New York. A demo tape got her the chance to record for the Smithsonian's Folkways label, and she went to Jackson, MS, to lay down her first album at the Malaco studios. Ramblin' on My Mind (later retitled simply Ramblin') was released in 1979 and featured a selection of traditional blues, country, folk, and Cajun songs. Williams returned to Houston to record the follow-up, 1980's Happy Woman Blues. As her first album of original compositions, it was an important step forward, and although it was much more bound by the dictates of tradition than her genre-hopping later work, her talent was already in evidence. The simply titled, Lucinda Williams was released in 1988, and although it did not make any waves in the mainstream, it received glowing reviews from those who did hear it. Williams’ sound had evolved into a seamless blend of country, blues, folk, and rock. Eventually, she signed with the small Elektra-distributed label Chameleon, which released Sweet Old World in 1992. The record won rave reviews as Williams toured in Australia with Rosanne Cash and Mary Chapin Carpenter. As the buzz around Williams continued to grow, so did the public anticipation for her next album. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road was released in 1998 boasting a contemporary roots rock sound as well as strong country and blues influences. It won Williams a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and also became her first album to go gold. Her next album Essence was delivered in 2001, followed by World Without Tears in 2003, and West in 2007.

For more information visit: www.lucindawilliams.com.

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